SB 3025HawaiiProcess complete

Hawaii office would cancel medical debt for eligible residents

The text directs Hawaii’s Office of Wellness and Resilience to cancel medical debt for residents who meet income or debt limits, beginning with debt already acquired for 50,016 residents.

What it does

The office is to run a program to cancel medical debt for residents who meet either an income limit or a debt-to-income test. The program begins with debt already acquired for 50,016 Hawaii residents.

Information collected for the program must follow state and federal privacy rules and may be used only for debt relief or related support.

The office must report to lawmakers on program progress and relevant steps other states took to address medical debt.

Argument forEligible residents could have medical debt canceled, easing bills, while limits on data use could help protect their personal information.

Argument againstResidents outside the income and debt limits may get no help, while state money could support the program.

More detail

The Office of Wellness and Resilience is to run a program that acquires and cancels eligible residents’ medical debt. The program covers Hawaii residents whose household income is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or whose medical debt is at least 5 percent of household income. The office is appropriated $500,000, or as much as needed, for fiscal year 2026–2027. It may also receive other state, private, or federal funds. The office must contract with an organization that holds medical debt from Hawaii residents and has succeeded in helping governments work with hospitals and health systems to cancel debt. The text sets July 1, 2026, as the effective date and provides funding for fiscal year 2026–2027.

The office must protect identifying and health information collected for the program and limit how it is used. The rule covers personal identifying information and protected health information collected for the program. The information may be used only to acquire and cancel debt or to provide financial education, help enrolling in insurance, preventive measures, or similar support.

The office must report to the Legislature on the program and related actions in other states. The Office of Wellness and Resilience must send the reports to lawmakers. Reports must cover program progress and relevant actions other states took in the prior year, including steps to keep medical debt off credit reports. Each report is due no later than 20 days before a regular legislative session.

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Where it stands

IntroducedJan 23
Passed SenateMar 10
Passed HouseApr 14
To GovernorMay 8
Became LawJul 10

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 10Act 220, 07/09/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1322).Latest
2. Jul 10Act 220, on 07/09/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1322).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 8Enrolled to Governor.To Governor
5. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Alcos excused (1).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Lee, C.; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
9. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Matayoshi, Hartsfield; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Garcia.Minor
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 205-26).
11. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
12. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 205-26) as amended in (CD 1).
13. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
14. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
15. Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
16. Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
17. Apr 24Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 742).Minor
18. Apr 24Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Monday, 04-27-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
19. Apr 23Senate Conferees Appointed: McKelvey Chair; Lee, C. Co-Chairs; Fevella.
20. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Marten, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Matayoshi, Hartsfield Co-Chairs; Garcia.
21. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 787).Minor
22. Apr 16Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 728).Minor
23. Apr 16Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
24. Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710).Minor
25. Apr 14Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 3 with Representative(s) Shimizu voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 3. Result: pass.Lower
26. Apr 10Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2098-26) as amended in HD 3, recommending passage on Third Reading.
27. Apr 10Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 04-14-26.
28. Apr 7The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos, Gedeon; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
29. Apr 2Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 04-07-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
30. Mar 30Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1539-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2. Result: pass.Lower
31. Mar 30Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Pierick voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Shimizu voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Lowen, Perruso, Quinlan excused (4).Minor
32. Mar 25The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 11 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Kong, Lowen, Marten, Tam; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Pierick; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
33. Mar 23Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Wednesday, 03-25-26 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
34. Mar 19Reported from HSH/HLT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1244-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC. Result: pass.Lower
35. Mar 19Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
36. Mar 17The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Hartsfield, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
37. Mar 17The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Amato, Hartsfield, Marten, Olds, Takenouchi, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.Minor
38. Mar 12Pass First ReadingMinor
39. Mar 12Referred to HSH/HLT, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 17Minor
40. Mar 12Bill scheduled to be heard by HSH/HLT on Tuesday, 03-17-26 10:00AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
41. Mar 10Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Result: pass.Upper
42. Mar 10Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 344) in amended form (SD 2).Minor
43. Mar 6Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2952) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
44. Mar 648 Hrs. Notice 03-10-26.
45. Mar 3The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
46. Feb 27The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 03-03-26 10:17AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
47. Feb 20Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2574) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
48. Feb 20Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
49. Feb 18The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, McKelvey, Kanuha, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Keohokalole.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
50. Feb 13The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 02-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
51. Jan 30Referred to HHS, WAM.Minor
52. Jan 26Passed First Reading.Minor
53. Jan 23Introduced.Introduced

HealthcareConsumer ProtectionTaxes & Budget

Issue with this bill?

SB 3025HawaiiProcess complete

Hawaii office would cancel medical debt for eligible residents

The text directs Hawaii’s Office of Wellness and Resilience to cancel medical debt for residents who meet income or debt limits, beginning with debt already acquired for 50,016 residents.

What it does

Information collected for the program must follow state and federal privacy rules and may be used only for debt relief or related support.

The office must report to lawmakers on program progress and relevant steps other states took to address medical debt.

Argument forEligible residents could have medical debt canceled, easing bills, while limits on data use could help protect their personal information.

Argument againstResidents outside the income and debt limits may get no help, while state money could support the program.

More detail

Where do you stand?

Tell your reps

Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.

More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 23
Passed SenateMar 10
Passed HouseApr 14
To GovernorMay 8
Became LawJul 10

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 10Act 220, 07/09/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1322).Latest
2. Jul 10Act 220, on 07/09/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1322).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 8Enrolled to Governor.To Governor
5. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Alcos excused (1).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Lee, C.; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
9. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Matayoshi, Hartsfield; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Garcia.Minor
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 205-26).
11. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
12. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 205-26) as amended in (CD 1).
13. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
14. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
15. Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
16. Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
17. Apr 24Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 742).Minor
18. Apr 24Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Monday, 04-27-26 2:00PM in conference room 329.
19. Apr 23Senate Conferees Appointed: McKelvey Chair; Lee, C. Co-Chairs; Fevella.
20. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Marten, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Matayoshi, Hartsfield Co-Chairs; Garcia.
21. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 787).Minor
22. Apr 16Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 728).Minor
23. Apr 16Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
24. Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710).Minor
25. Apr 14Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 3 with Representative(s) Shimizu voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 3. Result: pass.Lower
26. Apr 10Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2098-26) as amended in HD 3, recommending passage on Third Reading.
27. Apr 10Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 04-14-26.
28. Apr 7The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos, Gedeon; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
29. Apr 2Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 04-07-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
30. Mar 30Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1539-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2. Result: pass.Lower
31. Mar 30Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Pierick voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Shimizu voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Lowen, Perruso, Quinlan excused (4).Minor
32. Mar 25The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 11 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Grandinetti, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Kong, Lowen, Marten, Tam; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Pierick; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
33. Mar 23Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Wednesday, 03-25-26 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
34. Mar 19Reported from HSH/HLT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1244-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC. Result: pass.Lower
35. Mar 19Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
36. Mar 17The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Hartsfield, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
37. Mar 17The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Amato, Hartsfield, Marten, Olds, Takenouchi, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.Minor
38. Mar 12Pass First ReadingMinor
39. Mar 12Referred to HSH/HLT, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 17Minor
40. Mar 12Bill scheduled to be heard by HSH/HLT on Tuesday, 03-17-26 10:00AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
41. Mar 10Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Result: pass.Upper
42. Mar 10Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 344) in amended form (SD 2).Minor
43. Mar 6Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2952) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
44. Mar 648 Hrs. Notice 03-10-26.
45. Mar 3The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
46. Feb 27The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 03-03-26 10:17AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
47. Feb 20Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2574) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
48. Feb 20Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
49. Feb 18The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, McKelvey, Kanuha, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Keohokalole.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
50. Feb 13The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 02-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
51. Jan 30Referred to HHS, WAM.Minor
52. Jan 26Passed First Reading.Minor
53. Jan 23Introduced.Introduced

HealthcareConsumer ProtectionTaxes & Budget

Issue with this bill?

What it does

Where do you stand?

Choose your position

Tell your reps

More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History

What it does

Where do you stand?

Choose your position

Tell your reps

More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History